numinous「超自然的；精神上的；神圣的」

Word of the Day：August 30, 2021

numinous

超自然的；精神上的；神圣的

adjective NOO-muh-nus

What It Means

Numinous describes things having a mysterious or spiritual quality.

Numinous 描述具有神秘的或精神上的事物。

Examples

I was filled with a numinous sensation when, in the dark of night, a shooting star flashed across the sky.

是超自然现象，还是故意人为？

鬼影实录：波尔代热斯现象 屋内的东西会无缘无故地飞起来，打碎，移动，就像有个无形的吵闹鬼在搞乱；她只要一进屋，里面的灯就马上爆炸；半夜睡得好好的，突然被人捏住脖子，打开灯不见人；有人用力敲门，开门却看不到任何人。这是超自然现象，还是故意人为

当在漆黑的夜里，一颗流星划过天空时，我有一种神圣的感觉。

The tourists were overcome by the numinous atmosphere of the catacombs.

游客们被地下墓穴的神秘气氛所征服。

"A musician, educator and serial collaborator, Win is also a collector of objects, thoughts and, of course, words—her poetry an illumination of the everyday beauty found in things both tangible and numinous." — Denise Sullivan, Datebook (The San Francisco Chronicle), 19 Oct. 2020

“她是一位音乐家、教育家和联合伙伴，同时也是一位物件、思想、当然还有文字的收藏家。她的诗歌照亮了有形和无形事物的日常美。”

Did You Know?

Numinous is from the Latin word numen, meaning "nod of the head" or "divine will" (the latter sense suggesting a figurative nod, of assent or of command, of the divine head). English speakers have been using numen for centuries with the meaning "a spiritual force or influence." The meanings of the adjective include "supernatural" or "mysterious" (as in "possessed of a numinous energy force"), "holy" ("the numinous atmosphere of the catacombs"), and "appealing to the aesthetic sense" ("the numinous nuances of her art"). There are also the nouns numinousness and numinosity, although these are rare.

Numinous 来自拉丁语 numen，意思是“nod of head「点头」”或“divine will「神圣意志」”（the latter sense suggesting a figurative nod, of assent or of command, of the divine head「后者意为暗示着象征性的点头、同意或命令、神圣之首」）。 几个世纪以来，讲英语的人一直使用 numen 的意思是“a spiritual force or influence「一种精神力量或影响力」”。 形容词的含义包括“supernatural「超自然的」”或“mysterious「神秘的」”（如“possessed of a numinous energy force「拥有超自然的能量」”）、“holy”（“he numinous atmosphere of the catacombs「地下墓穴的神圣气氛」”）和“appealing to the aesthetic「吸引人的美学」”（“ "the numinous nuances of her art「她艺术神秘的韵味」”）。 还有名词 numinousness 和 numinosity，尽管这些很少见。

Quiz

What 5-letter adjective meaning “odd” or “fantastic” comes from an Old English noun meaning "fate" and is used to describe the witches in William Shakespeare's Macbeth?